Perception of DLSU-M accounting students on SMEs in the food and beverage service industry in the city of Manila that adopts sustainability accounting practices before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Main Authors: Cobankiat, Cleo Claire B., Siruno, Janella Bianca T., Sy, Jeryl S.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: Food industry and trade—Philippines—Manila—Accounting; Small business—Philippines—Manila—Accounting; Accounting; Sustainability; Other Business
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_acc/55; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdb_acc/article/1137/viewcontent/Perception_of_DLSU_M_Accounting_students_on_SMEs_in_the_food_and.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll in all types of industries, especially the food and beverage service industry. As such, incorporating sustainability in business practices would further help entities in mitigating the negative effects of the pandemic. This study aims to explore the perceptions of the consumers with regards to the businesses’ sustainability accounting practices (SAPs) as consumer perception is explored in terms of positive or negative retention of customers, highlighting changes in the consumers’ intent and willingness to buy as the spillover effects of the pandemic hit them. This paper studied the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the food and beverage service industry as the spillover effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were highly notable in the industry. This study shows the correlation between SMEs’ adoption of SAPs and the perception of consumers and the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has on this correlation. Surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather ample data, which are analyzed with descriptive statistics, content analysis, and correlation analysis. Additionally, the respondents are the accounting students of De La Salle University - Manila and the SMEs within the City of Manila that are frequented by the student consumers. As for the analysis used in this study, ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test were used to identify the significant differences of the ratings and its effect on the consumers’ behaviors. After using the analysis, the results have shown that DLSU-M students view SAPs in a positive way. It is also shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the changes in the consumers’ perceptions with regards to which among the SAPs are to be valued the most.